BY DAN HILDEBRAN
A 43-year-old Starke man was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading to selling another person’s car to a salvage yard.
Charles Clinton Thompson pleaded to dealing in stolen property. As part of a plea agreement, the state dropped an additional grand theft auto charge.
According to a complaint, after the victim’s car broke down, the defendant had it towed to a salvage yard, signed a title cancelation request, and took $417 as payment from the yard for the car.
Thompson told deputies the defendant gave the car to his grandfather, who then gifted the property to the defendant. Officers reported that Thompson produced a title to prove his ownership of the vehicle. However, the title did not have Thompson’s name, and the document was not signed, signifying a title transfer.
The defendant’s prior convictions include driving with a suspended or revoked license, burglary, grand theft, possession of burglary tools, sale of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school or church, and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.
